1. Field
The present invention relates to a washing machine, and, more particularly, to a washing machine having an ornamental panel to be mounted to a front surface of a door and door trims for the mounting of the ornamental panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A washing machine, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-0269498, includes a body having a laundry opening formed in a front surface thereof, and a door installed to the front surface of the body to open or close the laundry opening. To provide the washing machine with an aesthetic outer appearance, the door is configured to cover the laundry opening and the front surface of the body around the laundry opening.
In the case of the washing machine, since a color of the door is determined during manufacturing, it is difficult to change the outer appearance of the front surface, especially the color of the door for a customer's tastes. To solve this problem, recently some washing machines have been configured such that a replaceable ornamental panel is installed to a front surface of a door to allow a customer to change the outer appearance of the front surface into a desired color or design. The ornamental panel used is made of a variety of colors of resin, reinforced glass, etc. In this case, a plurality of door trims is provided at a coupling rim region of the ornamental panel and the door.
Specifically, the conventional washing machines are configured such that, after arranging the plurality of door trims at the coupling rim region of the ornamental panel and the door, a plurality of fixing screws are fastened to mount the ornamental panel at a fixed position. This mounting structure, however, has a difficulty in the mounting and separation of the ornamental panel when a customer later tries to replace the ornamental panel with a new panel. Furthermore, when the door trims are deformed after a long period of use thereof, joint portions of the respective door trims (for example, corners of the door trims) may come off, resulting in a deterioration of the outer appearance.